Mostly Mayhem

Setting - London, 1825 --- The widow, Tess Hardington, was coaxed by her cousin to join her at Vauxhall. Venturing out into the public eye she never expected to see more than derision from the faces of the ton and, for the most part, she was not disappointed. She was then surprised to see a friendly face, a most beloved face, from her past. Charles Emerson, was the man, that she had refused to elope with rather than defy her family and leave her beloved younger sister Alicia alone with their uncle so many years ago. As welcome a sight he was, her life was now so complicated that she dare not let anyone but her few accomplices uncover her secret life. Elated in seeing him again, she had little choice but to brush him off -- hurting herself more than the disappointment she saw in Charles' eyes. Her path was resolute and she couldn't allow anyone the chance of deterring her from her goal. Rejoining her friends, Tess was then upset when her Uncle Howard came upon them and informed her that according to her fathers will, now that she had been widowed, and until she was 30 years old, or married, he would be back in charge of her finances. Noticing Charles walking nearby she called him over, and rushed to meet him before he came in contact with her uncle. Caught off guard, he reluctantly agreed to her plea to agree with whatever she said, then did his best to cover his shock when she announced to her uncle that Charles was her husband, therefore there would be no need of Uncle Howard assuming control of her wealth! Later, she brought Charles to her home where she gave him only the barest of facts to convince him to help her thwart her grasping uncle. Naturally, Charles, who had never forgotten the love of his life, planned to go along with her plan hoping that perhaps this might be the only chance to make a sham marriage into a reality. Unfortunately, rather than the closeness he yearned for, Tess keeps Charles is at arms length. When he discovered Tess making mysterious midnight excursions, he followed her into the dangerous night to uncover her secrets. Charles is determined to expose her secrets - but as much as Tess would like to trust him, it would take a murder and a startling confession for him to break thru the ice that had encapsulated her heart. This second installment of a trilogy, following her debut novel MOSTLY MARRIED shows again Ms. Manuel's very smooth delivery and very impressive writing style. Right from the very start, her very descriptive prose lures you into the feeling of an ominous mystery. Her characters were well-developed and I overlooked what I felt were some minor flaws in getting me to really like or embrace the heroine, who was just a tad too distrustful of a man who seemed to prove over and over again his dedication and worthiness. Bottom line - Somewhat original and well worth your time as an excellent read from an author who is proving to have what it takes in making her mark as a force to be reckoned